Meet Skywalker (Rusi Korak Limited Edition)

Hey guys! I missed you! Haha! I haven't blogged in a while now. A month, was it? Shit.

Anyway, I'd like you all to meet my baby. His name is Skywalker -- that's another thing about me; I'm a Star Wars nerd. He's the black motorcycle on the picture below.

Skywalker (black) and his twin sister, Chuchay (white)

Skywalker's Specifications 

(or at least those that I currently understand)

I'm not really into specifications and all the technicalities. Don't expect too much. I'll probably update the specs as soon as I understand them. I have to understand them if I want to save up on minor repairs. Just sharing these things for my and other riders' benefit. These are just bits of wisdom that I got from the user manual, from the dealership, and my friends:

Brand: Rusi (Official website: http://rusimc.com/)

A little interruption here... I don't even know why they put up this website. It doesn't contain anything practically useful, believe me. Their facebook pages (yes, pages) are more reliable but I won't write about that in this blog. I'll create another one dedicated to Rusi motorcycles. 

Model: Korak Limited Edition

Displacement (cc): 110

Fuel: Premium Gasoline, 98 Octane Rating  

(This was just my choice. The sales personnel from the dealership told me we could use any gasoline type)

Fuel System: Carburetor

Gear Shift Pattern: N-1-2-3-4 

(rotary -- one more click down from 4 and it goes back to neutral)

Starting System: Push/Electric and Kick Start

Suspension (Front): Telescopic Fork

Suspension (Rear): Mono Shock

Tire Pressure (Front): 28 psi

(acquired knowledge from other Rusi mini-bike users)

Tire Pressure (Rear): 30 psi

(acquired knowledge from other Rusi mini-bike users)

Transmission: Manual (also available in semi-Automatic)

Price (straight cash): Php45,000 

(as of July 21, 2017)

Price (Installment - 2 years): Downpayment - Php5,000 | Monthly: 2,575

(less Php300 if paid early)

Price (Installment - 3 years): Downpayment - Php5,000 | Monthly: Php1,945 

(less Php300 if paid early)

IMPORTANT!!! Hazard switch is not available for this bike. My nephew helped me tap a hazard switch on the signal lights. Oopss... Sorry, Rusi. Haha! XD

So far, those are the things that I know about my bike. Not a lot, I know. Still learning. Lady Rider in waiting... :P

Update on Me and Skywalker

Skywalker is mostly in our garage and I rarely get to use him. My dad and my brother are the ones who take Skywalker out for a ride. I'm not even sure if we're done with his "break-in." His twin sister Chuchay already has lots of mileage. Well, my nephew (Chuchay's owner) is already an experienced rider. I'm so proud of him, already riding for two years. :)

Right now, I'm practicing control of my clutch on first gear; managing those small tight spaces in our garage with all other cars parked on the side. That exercise is still very helpful because riding here in the Philippines is pure insanity. You never know when an accident might occur. It's best to know what to do in every type of situation - small tight spaces included.

It's a little sad but I can't take Skywalker out just yet. I've only been riding motorcycles for five months and I've only had experience with manual transmission when I bought him. So that's about three weeks of experience with manual. 

Questions and Apprehensions About My Motorcycle Choice

Since I got my motorcycle, many people have been bombarding me with questions and apprehensions. I have my reasons for not getting a semi-automatic (as advised by my cousin). I'll write about them in another blog. Those reasons are probably products of overthinking and my background on occupational health and safety. Those reasons need a blog of their own. With that, I want to bring Skywalker to Cavite where I can religiously practice every weekend. My dad doesn't like this idea and he says I can just practice in Antipolo on the highway in front of our gate. HIGHWAY. Marcos HIGHWAY where there are lots of crazy-ass pedestrians and motorcyclists who counterflow when traffic is heavy.

Meanwhile, my cousin likes the Cavite idea since I'm still in the process of building my confidence on riding. One thing he has commented on is Skywalker's transmission. Hehe. He asked why I hadn't gotten a semi-automatic motorcycle. He has insight about my reasons but I've yet to explain to him. I hope he reads my blog.

With that, I'd like to point out that it's not really about what people say that matters to me. It's about how much I trust myself to ride. I sincerely appreciate these questions and apprehensions since a lot of my family members already had catastrophic accidents including my own dear little sister. Well, not little per se, she's already 24. But the accident was so catastrophic and life-changing to the point where my parents almost denounced us when she found out that all of her children are still involved in motorcycling. I understand that they don't want those accidents to happen again.

So for now, I'll do what I want. I'll ask my cousin to help me bring Skywalker to Cavite and I'll practice there. I love my cousin so much, he's so supportive about my decisions and the reasons behind them but he's still protective of the Lady Riders in his bike group. I mean, he's the one who got me into this in the first place. Haha! XD

For now, I'll leave you with that update. Let's hope the next blog comes out earlier. :P